Beijing: Keys vs. Kuznetsova
Madison Keys takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round of the China Open.
Madison Keys takes on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round of the China Open.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Victoria Azarenka survived a late wobble to defeat No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza and keep alive her hopes of becoming the first player in a decade to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Miami right here on wtatennis.com!
No one since Kim Clijsters in 2005 has managed to win the two Premier Mandatory events in the same year and Azarenka weathered a barrage of winners from Muguruza to prevail, 7-6(6), 7-6(4), and book a quarterfinal spot.
“I think it was a high-quality match for both of us. It was a lot of good striking, a lot of winners, and both of us taking opportunities,” Azarenka said. “I think today I served really well, and I played to win in important moments. Momentum shifting, I think I was a little better today.”
Azarenka has started the year like a freight train, claiming titles in Brisbane and Indian Wells and winning 19 of 20 matches. Sandwiched between her triumphs in Australia and California was the sole setback, defeat to an inspired Angelique Kerber in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
This disappointment only seems to have fuelled the fire in the Belarusian and in a contest of fine margins and superlative shotmaking against Muguruza it was her game that stood firm at the pivotal moments.
Azarenka, who lifted the Miami Open in 2009 and 2011, produced an ace and a brilliant return to recover from 6-4 down in the first set tie-break and then forged 5-2 ahead in the second. Muguruza, though, went down all guns blazing, drawing level amidst a barrage of winners only to succumb in another tie-break.
In the last eight, Azarenka will face Johanna Konta, a 6-2, 6-2 winner earlier in the day over Monica Niculescu.
A leg injury to Azarenka cut short the only previous meeting between the two in Wuhan last autumn, since when the Briton has established herself at the top of the game.
“We have played in Wuhan last year, but it was difficult to consider that a full match since I didn’t really feel physically well or wasn’t good on the court,” Azarenka said. “But it’s really impressive to see how much she improved over the last couple months. Obviously had some great results; playing with a lot of confidence.
“She has a very solid game; big serve. I’m just looking forward to that challenge.”
Fantastic quality between Azarenka-Muguruza. The stats, as great as they are, don’t even capture it. pic.twitter.com/INJzhMOrMS
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 28, 2016
BEIJING, China – World No.1 Angelique Kerber overcame a spirited rearguard effort – and some inspired shotmaking – from Barbora Strycova on Wednesday to take her place in the third round of the China Open.
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In an entertaining conclusion, Kerber twice failed to serve out the match before finally completing a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory. The German will now face Elina Svitolina for a place in the quarterfinals.
“The match was on a really high level at the end of the second set. We run a lot, both of us. I think we both have a great return, so I think that was also the key from both of us to breaking back,” Kerber said. “She breaks me back, and then I break her back.
“The games were still close. It was not like I lost my serve to zero or 15. There were still good points during my service games.”
After dominating their first four meetings on tour, Kerber has found Strycova a more difficult nut to crack this year. In Madrid, the Czech ran out a surprisingly comfortable straight-set winner, before threatening to repeat the upset in Cincinnati.
Once again, Kerber found Strycova in combative mood, testing her nerve as the finishing line beckoned. Several times the top seed looked to have broken her opponent’s will, yet each time she was unable to deliver the final blow.
Even with a commanding lead in the tie-break, Strycova continued to chase down lost causes, reducing her arrears to 4-3 before finally succumbing when she pulled a weary forehand wide.
“It was back and forth. In the final tie-break, I was just trying to forget about everything that happened before, just being in the tie-break, starting from zero,” Kerber added. “I was 4-0. She came back again. It was actually an up-and-down tie-break as well. But finally I won it, so it was a good match at the end for me.”
The top half of the draw will be whittled down to two semifinalists after today’s action in Miami. Here’s a breakdown of the matchups.
Tuesday, Quarterfinals
[15] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #19) vs. [30] Ekaterina Makarova (RUS #31)
Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads, 5-1
Key Stat: At 30, Kuznetsova is the oldest player remaining in the draw.
After ending Serena Williams’ 20-match Miami win streak on Monday, Svetlana Kuznetsova’s big task on Tuesday will be to put her feet back on the ground so that she may focus on the next task at hand. It might not be easy, given the character of the Russian’s emotional win over the World No.1. “I have so many people saying congratulations I feel like I won the title already,” joked Kuznetsova after recording her first win over a reigning World No.1 since the 2009 Roland Garros final (d. Safina). When she comes back to earth, Kuznetsova will head into her quarterfinal against compatriot Ekaterina Makarova with confidence to burn. She has won the pair’s last four tilts in straight sets, and is a former Miami Open champion who doesn’t mind the sweltering conditions at Key Biscayne. But Makarova is in good form as well, having knocked off Top 20 opponents in consecutive matches for the first time in over a year to reach her maiden Miami Open quarterfinal.
Pick: Kuznetsova in three
[5] Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs. [19] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #20)
Head-to-head: Halep leads, 2-0 (1-0 at Tour-level)
Key Stat: Bacsinszky recorded her fourth career Top 5 win (first Top 3) on Monday (4-13 overall).
Two players rounding into peak form will clash in a must-see quarterfinal on Tuesday, and while Simona Halep will come in as the favorite against 26-year-old Timea Bacsinszky, expect the Swiss to come out hungry for a shot of revenge. The last time Bacsinszky attempted to win back-to-back matches against Top 5 opponents she was shut down by Halep in the 2015 Shenzhen Open final, where she only managed four games. On Monday, Bacsinszky reached her first career quarterfinal at Miami with a gritty comeback against Agnieszka Radwanska, impressively wrestling control of the match from the World No.2 after a nervous start. Halep, who has won all six sets she’s played in Miami, should prove to be a tougher matchup for Bacsinszky. Many players struggle to contend with the Swiss’ world-class backhand, but the Romanian is such an exceptional mover, and so steady from both wings, that she should be able to weather the storm in the backhand rallies so that she may exploit the Swiss’ less steady forehand wing.
Pick: Halep in three
-Chris Oddo, wtatennis.com contributor
BEIJING, CHINA – No.19 Elina Svitolina scored her second win over a reigning World No.1, beating Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals of the China Open. She’ll play Daria Gavrilova for a spot in the semifinals.
Three takeaways from Svitolina’s solid win:
1. Mental focus was the key to Svitolina’s win.
Svitolina is a fiery player and she’s never been shy about wearing her emotions for all to see. The frustration can mount quickly for the 22-year-old, but she’s slowly learning to let go. That could be the key to unlocking another level in her game.
“Today was a good win for me,” Svitolina told reporters. “The way I played was really good. I was going for my shots, sometimes just staying with the ball, not missing in important moments.
“I think I’m moving in a good way. Playing against top players, this is the main goal. I try to really stay on their level and then get better.”
Just two months ago, Svitolina knocked out then No.1 Serena Williams from the Olympic tennis event. Now she avenged her Montreal loss to Kerber to score another win over a No.1. Svitolina’s young career continues to have its ups and downs but she remains a frustrating player to face because at her best, she isn’t going to give you free points. You have to earn every single one, and when you’re not at your best that can prove very difficult.
“The main thing is to just stay in the moment, to think about the plan, about the match, what is my next step, next action,” Svitolina said. “So I try to really don’t think about [playing a No.1]. If I think too much, I lose my way.
“Of course, Angelique or Serena, they’re not letting you play your game. If you’re out for even two, three seconds, they just going to do winners. They are there all the time. They’re not letting you go.”
Kerber had a break lead in both sets but she would finish just 2 for 11 on break points in the match. On the key points, Svitolina stood tall, worked her defense in and out of the corners, and made Kerber hit the extra ball. In Montreal, Svitolina grew easily frustrated when Kerber’s counter-punching skills resulted in impossible gets. On Thursday, Svitolina shrugged them off and got back to work.
“The main thing was just mentally to be focused,” Svitolina said. “Even if you play a good point against her, she can play some amazing shot back. Still you need to be, Next point, don’t eat yourself from inside. This is really important when you play against her because sometimes she gets some balls which is, like, unbelievable, playing amazing shots from down the line.”
Svitolina’s run in Beijing puts her in solid position to qualify for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai at the end of the season. Svitolina played the inaugural event last season and she’s looking forward to returning.
“The atmosphere is great there,” she said. “It’s like the second after Singapore. So there’s always motivation. Just 12 players there. It’s really special to play there. It’s still a big, big tournament. It’s really special for me.”
Angelique Kerber: “It was a tough match. I had my chances, for sure, but I didn't take it.” #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/IUVdHWfCQx
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 6, 2016
2. Kerber’s China swing bore little fruit.
After winning her second major title at the US Open and rising to World No.1 for the first time in her career, Kerber’s run through China was a frustrating one, bowing out in the third round at both the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open and the China Open. That’s not the consolidating run the German was looking for, especially as she was trying to lock up the Year-End No.1 ranking before the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
The good news for Kerber is there was no pattern through both losses. She had the bad luck of running into an on-fire Petra Kvitova in Wuhan and the two played a grueling, high-quality match that may go down as the match of the WTA season. She was the only player to take a set off Kvitova last week and she walked away with her head held high.
The loss to Svitolina was far more worrisome, though much of Kerber’s erratic play could be chalked up to the right leg injury she carried into the match. She refused to use the injury as an excuse for her loss and said she did not believe the injury to be serious, but it was evident she was unable to play her physical, counter-punching game against Svitolina. The Ukrainian played her solid game-style perfectly and forced Kerber to go for too much to terminate points. On this day the World No.1 missed more than she made.
“I think it was up-and-down match,” Kerber said. “I played a few games really good and then I did a lot of easy mistakes. She was moving good. She brings a lot of balls back. I think that was the key, why she beat me at the end.”
3. Kerber’s pre-Singapore dilemma.
Kerber is currently entered as the top seed in the Hong Kong Open next week. On one hand, playing the event would give her a chance to earn points towards the year-end No.1 ranking and a good run there could boost her confidence heading into Singapore.
On the other hand, the most important thing for Kerber is to play the WTA Finals healthy. She has come into the event sputtering in the past, having exhausted herself with last minute pushes to qualify, and she has never qualified out of the round robin stage of the event. With so much on the line in Singapore, it’s a tough choice for Kerber.
“It’s right after the match, so I don’t know exactly with my leg or whatever,” Kerber said when asked if she would play Hong Kong. “But it’s still in my schedule.”
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – Americans Sloane Stephens and Shelby Rogers enjoyed an extra special Easter Sunday in their country’s capital; the duo teamed up with USTA President Katrina Adams to bring tennis to the White House Easter Egg Roll hosted by President Barack Obama.
Facilitating a 10 and Under Tennis Clinic, Stephens and Rogers posed for pictures with President Obama, who even briefly took the court to show off his own skills to the WTA stars. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was also on hand for a basketball clinic and photos with Adams and former Top 10 WTA player Chanda Rubin.
Check out some of the best photos and tweets from the event:
Honored to be at the @wheastereggroll helping @usta get kids active and on the court. @letsmove #LetsCelebrate pic.twitter.com/8SgRVbBsBE
— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) March 28, 2016
Great day at the @wheastereggroll!???@usta @katadams68 @JRBlake @SloaneStephens pic.twitter.com/k6XGppSwBs
— Shelby Rogers (@Shelby_Rogers_) March 28, 2016
Possibly the best day ever ?@POTUS pic.twitter.com/9UsfH3Mz2R
— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) March 28, 2016
.@POTUS blames his bad tennis swing on the “equipment.” #EasterEggRoll pic.twitter.com/EmHeKiRYMm
— POLITICO (@politico) March 28, 2016
Naomi Osaka has saved some of her best tennis for the major tournaments in 2016, reaching the third round at three of the four Grand Slams this season.
“I’m happy with the way I play at slams, because they’re very important to me,” she said at the US Open, addining, “but I kind of wish I could transfer the feeling like to the other tournaments, you know.”
The Japanese teenager’s wish came true at home; playing at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, Osaka rolled into her first WTA final, dismantling former Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova along the way.
“I don’t really feel pressure here since the first match, since everyone is ranked higher than me,” she said after knocking out Elina Svitolina in three sets. “I’m a wildcard, so I just try to do my best. But this, for sure, it’s my best tournament.”
This remains my favorite quote from the US Open. Naomi Osaka on whether experience matters: pic.twitter.com/TBG96lBLkS
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 25, 2016
Up to a career-high ranking of No.46, Osaka is your Breakthrough Player of the Month!
Final Results for September’s WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month
1. Naomi Osaka (45%)
2. Kristyna Pliskova (40%)
3. Oceane Dodin (9%)
4. Christina McHale (6%)
2016 Breakthrough Performance Of The Month Winners
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
June: Elena Vesnina
July: Kristina Kucova
August: Karolina Pliskova
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
MIAMI, FL, USA – For so long her Achilles heel, Victoria Azarenka’s serve has become a real weapon of late.
It is an improvement that, allied with her exceptional returning, has helped the Belarusian re-establish herself as a contender at the game’s flagship events; in Indian Wells, she outplayed Serena Williams to collect her biggest title since being crowned Australian Open champion, and earlier this week in Miami she got the better of the next generation’s brightest star, Garbiñe Muguruza, over two enthralling sets.
Pivotal to her success against Muguruza was the serve. The statistics made pleasant reading for the Azarenka camp, nine aces and a solitary double fault helping her win 58 of 83 (69%) points on serve – WTA leader Serena Williams’ 2016 figure is 66.4%* – and restrict the Spaniard to two breaks.
“I think it was a high-quality match for both of us. It was a lot of good striking, a lot of winners, and both of us taking opportunities,” Azarenka said in her post-match press conference. “I think today I served really well, and I played to win in important moments. Momentum shifting, I think I was a little better today.”
The story was a similar one in the Indian Wells final, where her approach and execution withstood the sternest of examinations from one of the best returners in the history of the sport. Williams carved out 12 break points (three times as many as Azarenka) yet could convert only one.
“Well, I have to go for it. She’s not a type of player that if you going to play safe she’s going to give it to you or she’s going to miss,” the 26-year-old said afterwards. “You really have to go out there and take away, because there is nothing coming easy.
“My mentality was just to stay calm, do what I think is right, play aggressive, play my game, and figure it out from there. I just really try to stay in the moment. Whatever I can do, you know, whatever the score is, the next-best point what I can play.”
This unflappability bears stark contrast to previous seasons, when Azarenka’s serve often unraveled at the most inopportune of moments. Nowhere was this more apparent than during her encounter with Williams at last year’s Mutua Madrid Open. Leading 6-5, 40-0 in the final set, Azarenka fell to pieces, double faulting three times to precipitate a dramatic collapse that culminated in tie-break heartache.
Similar problems would haunt her for the rest of the campaign, which featured more false dawns than she would care to remember. Charged with finding a solution was coach Wim Fissette, who targeted cheap gains as crucial to improving his charge’s fortunes.
“I worked a lot on my serve to be able to create easier serving games and going for my shots, developing power speed, and now need to work a little bit more on accuracy,” Azarenka said after her Indian Wells victory over Samantha Stosur, a match in which she struck a healthy 10 aces.
In her Hawk-Eye tracked matches in 2015, Azarenka was averaging 96mph on her first serve and 84mph on the second. While her service speed has not risen noticeably in 2016 – she is averaging 100mph and 86mph on first and second serves, respectively – there has been a marked jump in the number of points won – 66% compared to 55% in 2015.
The knock-on effect has been a more confident player, better equipped to make that long-overdue charge up the rankings: “I think I’m a better player right now just the way I handle myself on the court. I improved a lot my serve and just stronger in the tougher moments. I feel happier on the court, so that’s very important, to be able to go out there and perform in a difficult fight.
“I think my game is developing with pretty big progress right now, and that’s what I’m most happy about, is being able to add a little bit more every time I play. That’s for me the main goal of this season, to keep improving.”
* Information accurate as of March 21, 2016
BEIJING, China – Shortly after midnight Agnieszka Radwanska looked alert as ever as she secured the last semifinal spot at the China Open with an impressive win over Yaroslava Shvedova.
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Radwanska, the 2011 champion, produced two sets of near-flawless tennis to wrap up a 6-1, 6-2 victory and a book a meeting with Elina Svitolina.
.@ARadwanska through in the straightest of straight sets into @ChinaOpen SF pic.twitter.com/WCsJ4JXdC5
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) October 7, 2016
Shvedova, who defeated Alizé Cornet in their rain-delayed third-round encounter earlier in the day, made a bright enough start, capitalizing on a couple of errors from Radwanska to claim an early break. However, from this point on it was one-way traffic, the Pole soaking up Shvedova’s best blows to race through the rest of the set.
Radwanska’s defense was equally watertight in the second set – she would finish with just nine unforced errors – rattling off the final four games to take her place in a fifth semifinal in the Chinese capital.
Svitolina’s progress was not quite so straightforward, recovering from a slow start to defeat Daria Gavrilova. Having overturned an early deficit, Svitolina experienced an almighty struggle to close out the opening set. In the end she required seven set points, going on to close out a 7-6(3), 6-1 winner after an hour and 45 minutes.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Victoria Azarenka continued her march towards a third Miami Open title with a straight set win over Johanna Konta in Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Miami right here on wtatennis.com!
In a high-quality encounter, Azarenka withstood some early pressure before raising her game to prevail, 6-4, 6-2.
“She’s such a great player and it’s interesting to see what sort of player she was last year and playing well here, so I see a lot of potential,” Azarenka told ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez afterwards. “I couldn’t actually get a read on her serve in the beginning – it was tough for me to adjust – but then I got a bit lower and tried to get more returns in, be a bit more aggressive.”
Playing her first match on Crandon Park’s cavernous Stadium court, Konta started brightly, breezing through her first two service games whilst exerting early pressure with some aggressive returning.
But in the seventh game, Azarenka created an opportunity of her own, punching away a volley to earn her first break points. Konta produced some smart play to reach the safety of deuce only to succumb two points later when she double faulted for the first time.
This lapse proved a costly one, Azarenka’s serve holding firm to close out the set in a fraction under an hour. With Konta’s level dropping, Azarenka began to pile on the pressure, a brilliant stretching forehand return bringing up three break points early in the second set.
Once again, Konta’s serve wilted, a second double fault putting the No.13 seed in the driving seat. She soon stretched this lead to 5-1 and despite some spirited late resistance eventually crossed the finish line to register her 11th straight victory.
“I think there are adjustments every day; it depends on the opponent you play, the conditions you play – I’ve played some night matches, I played some matches where it was really hot, today it’s really windy – so I think it’s all about adaptation every single day and for me focusing on my recovery because I’ve been playing a lot of tennis!”
After her Indian Wells triumph, the Belarusian remains on course to become just the third player to win Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. However, Azarenka, who lifted Miami titles in 2009 and 2011, refused to get drawn on her chances of becoming first player since Kim Clijsters to complete the feat: “Right now I’m looking forward to the semifinal. If I can make it, it’s great. Right now it seems so close but I want to stay in the present and continue to fight and keep getting better.”
Meeting Azarenka for a place in the final will be the winner of the evening encounter between Madison Keys and No.2 seed Angelique Kerber.
It was a pleasure to share the court with you @vika7 https://t.co/JXkFvNjzJD
— Johanna Konta (@JoKonta91) March 30, 2016